This blog began as "The Vegan Investigation" which ran from 02/14-03/14/2011 and my fitness blog. Now it continues as my personal blog for fitness, nutrition and everyday life. I'm never afraid to push limits mentally or physically - some think I'm crazy, others think I'll push myself too hard - but either way, I'll never know my true limits until I push myself past them....Because people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do

Friday, December 13, 2013

Hello everyone! How are you all doing? I'm doing really well, but I can't believe that Christmas is only 12 days away! EEP!

So I know I've been scarce, and with the holidays coming I'll probably be scarce until January - but I've felt the need to update on how things are going. First and foremost, my 18 credit hour semester is OVER!! I ended the term with 6 A's and one C (considering it was the hardest class I've ever taken, I'm thrilled I passed - but I've never failed a class before and I wasn't about to start now!!) I'd say that is pretty darn impressive considering that I am also working full time, married to an amazing man & parent to an awesome 11 year old. I think I did a good job juggling everything.

Due to scheduling conflicts at my current school, I am transferring to another school and I had to take an entrance exam in the middle of November. We only needed a 60% to pass, but my goal was an 80%. With some hard work (and a lot of stress considering I was in the middle of my 18 credit term!) I passed with a whopping 82%! Out of about 24 people who took the exam that day, I was one of only 2 people that passed! WOW! My advisor said he rarely sees scores that high so I'm thrilled! I am still working with him to get all my credits transferred over and I should be finding out today or Monday when my start date is.

The one thing that I've slacked on is my diet & fitness. Since I hurt my knee in July, I haven't really been able to do a whole lot and most days I feel like a chunky munky. I've maintained my weight throughout the year, but really haven't made much progress with the weight loss or training goals. Its really hard to maintain the level of fitness I had with a busted knee but I'm hoping to slowly make progress over the next few months to get myself back into shape.

Once I start classes again, I'm already working a solid routine into my schedule - woot! I'll be going to school at night 3 days a week and working in the earlier mornings, so in the gap between work & school I will be going to the gym 3 days a week. My plan is to lift for about an hour and then do one of their MMA classes for an hour before going to class. I'm also going to be buying a cooler to keep in my trunk so that I will be able to pack food with me each day. That way I won't be eating out & I can stay disciplined.

Okay - so that being said, how did I do on my 2013 resolutions?? Well some of them I met, while others I didn't (due to injury, etc)

Here's my resolutions from January along with my updates for how I did on each of them:

~ Continue to read for sanity - I love my books and can't wait to read (or re-read some favorites) in 2013So far this year, I've read 308 books and over 59,000 pages (this does NOT include any reading I had to do for school) This is all "fun reading" which has definitely helped me maintain my sanity. Now that I'm done with school for the year, I'm sure I'll knock out even more books in the next 2 weeks~ Set small & attainable goals - sometimes the grand scope of HUGE goals overwhelms me and I find I lack motivation to get started (or keep going)This was the one mentality that got me through my crazy semester. I took each of my classes on a week by week (and sometimes day by day basis). Learning to slow down and not get overwhelmed by everything helped me survive many things this year & I couldn't be happier!!!

~ Run a Half Marathon later this year - okay I know this isn't the "small & attainable" thing I was talking about, but this is the ultimate goal & I'll make little goals to get there :-)Okay - so due to knee injuries, this one obviously didn't happen. I still want to run a half. I'd love to get back into running shape - but the health of my joints needs to stay a priority for me. I'm going to slowly work myself back up to running shape in 2014 and hope that I can keep myself there from now on. I desperately miss running and find that I can be a cranky b*tch when I can't get a solid workout in

~ Continue to get a better relationship with myself & foodThe hubby and I have both made amazing progress with this. We have cut out sodas completely from our diet as well as any drinks with processed or artificial sugars (so no crystal lights, etc). We drink bulletproof coffee, teas and water....that's it. We've found if we drink anything else, we get sick. We've both stayed away from cigarettes for a whole year....I know this has nothing to do with food, but its still something to be very proud of! We have discovered a way of eating that makes us feel amazing and now we just need to be able to stick with it on a consistent basis!

~ Accomplish new & amazing things - I need to work on not being afraid to try something new even if there's the possibility that I might fail or might not be good at it :-)So this one is a big one. I went back to school in January and have survived some of the hardest classes I've ever taken. When I hit a roadblock, I didn't give up or get whiny - I took the initiative to get my butt transferred to another school WHILE still maintaining my grades at my current school. My current GPA is a 3.71 (and it will go up as more grades are being posted to my college over the weekend)I joined a fighting gym. I never thought that I'd love that kind of a workout, but it makes me feel amazingly powerful and was one of the best decisions I've ever made. The hubby and I became full-time parents and we love it! Being able to see the changes and progress in our kiddo has been amazing and we can't wait to see what the future holds for all of us. So - I think that even though I might not be exactly where I wanted to be at the end of 2013 - I've accomplished a lot of other goals and proven to myself that I am capable of handling anything. I look forward to everything that I can do in 2014 and can't wait to see all the adventures that await!!! I hope you all have a happy holidays & I'll definitely start updating more as I get back into a regular routine!

About Me

I am also an avid reader who always has her Nook, Kindle or physical book with her. I have an amazing husband, a fabulous step son, a loving yet spoiled cat & a happy life. I couldn't really ask for anything more than this!

I am always willing to try something new. I love working out and I will always try to find a new and exciting challenge to push my body to the next level! I'm discovering a love for adventures that make me feel alive & incredible and I can't wait to share that with the rest of the world!

Disclaimer

Hillary is NOT a medical doctor and takes no responsibility in the use or misuse of any of her ramblings on this or any other form of media. You are big kids! Think for yourself! All the information in this blog is offered as-is, for informational purposes ONLY! Much of the information here, although medically referenced, exists outside the realm of conventional, accepted medial practice. The user of this information assumes all risks for its use or misuse. In no event shall the writer of this blog or any other person or entity involved in the production of this information be held liable for any damages stemming from the use or misuse of this information. Your continued reading of this blog indicates your acceptance of these terms & conditions.